This is the eighth of a series which takes a look at the cultural differences you may experience when living in Norway.
Speaking English in Norway
Norwegians learn English as a second language in school from when they are about 8 years old. Of course, this does not mean that every Norwegian is fluent in English. Some Norwegians can speak and understand English well but they find it pretty hard to speak it, especially in front of other Norwegians. They feel very self-conscious about using wrong English words and grammar and fear ridicule from their peers.
Contrary to what some people believe, it is not the age nor the education level of Norwegians that determines if they speak English well or not. I have met 90 year-old Norwegians who speak fluent English and highly educated 26 year-olds who stumble over it. I notice that Norwegians who are outgoing, well-travelled and/or exposed to many different cultures have no problems speaking English.
Those of us living in Stavanger do have to count ourselves lucky as Norwegians from Stavanger (Siddisfolk) are very used to foreigners and speaking English so we foreigners get by very easily. Stavanger is, after all, the nation’s oil and energy capital so Norwegians here are used to the influx of foreigners (both expatriates and tourists). Of course, you’ll get the occasional grouch who expects the whole world to speak Norwegian (even when one has just moved here) but why let these people ruin your day?
The Norwegian Language
Norway has three official languages, Bokmål, (‘Book Language’), Nynorsk (‘New Norwegian’) and the Sámi language. Sámi is completely separate and only taught in Norwegian schools with Sámi pupils. The most commonly used is Bokmål which is heavily influenced by Danish, used in most written works and spoken by more than 80% of the population, especially those living in urban areas. It is the main language of instruction and broadcasting. Nynorsk was created in the mid-19th century and combines many rural dialects; legislation requires that it must be used in a certain percentage of schools and broadcast media. Over the whole of Norway, many different dialects can be heard. Generally, the east of Norway speaks Bokmål or dialects close to Bokmål and the rest of Norway speaks dialects which are similar to Nynorsk. Here in Stavanger, one learns Bokmål in the language schools but on the street, you may totally not get what people are saying because of the Stavanger dialect! (which is similar to Nynorsk)
Around the country some 272 dialects of the Norwegian language continue to be spoken in rural areas. The Sámi minority people of North Norway speak their own languages but also learn Norwegian in school. Although Danes, Swedes and Norwegians can understand one another’s languages, only about 5 million people in the world speak Norwegian.
Norwegians are generally appreciative when a foreigner tries to speak Norwegian. So do not be embarassed about practising your Norwegian, after all, how else will you learn?
The Stavanger Dialect
The Stavanger dialect is closer to nynorsk than it is to bokmål however what you learn in the language courses is usually the latter. As a result, you may have problems understanding the Norwegians on the street.
Usually when Norwegians realise that you’re learning Norwegian, they tend to simplify their language or speak more bokmål rather than dialects. However, some Norwegians do not. But do not despair, after a while of immersing yourself in the language, you will be able to understand the Stavanger dialect.
When in your language classes or when speaking to your Norwegian colleagues, do ask your teacher or colleagues for terms that are used in Stavanger, for example ‘Hvordan‘ is said as ‘Kordan‘ or ‘Kossen‘ and ‘ikke‘ is said as ‘ikkje‘.
Reading the newspapers and magazines are a good way to get familiar with the language. You can find articles written in both bokmål and nynorsk. Written bokmål is actually pretty easy to decipher. Watching TV and reading the subtitles is also a good way to learn Norwegian (although I have discovered a few translation errors in the subtitles every now and then).
Want to learn Norwegian but do not know where to go? Find language schools here.
Share your experiences with learning Norwegian in the comments below!
See entire Culture Shock Norway series here.
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About Cynthia Myrnes
Cynthia is a Singaporean who has been living in Stavanger since Feb 2008 with her Norwegian husband. She works as a physiotherapist here and also owns her own petsitting service, Stavanger Petsitter, for the residents of Stavanger. In addition, she manages the Stavanger International Moms group. She loves hanging out with friends, spending time with animals, travelling and watersports such as scuba diving and wake boarding. Most of all, she is enjoying the experience of being a first time mom!
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